This blog is a result of the heavy censoring of the media by the military dictatorship regime.

Monday, June 6, 2016

The Reinvention of Frank Bainimarama

By Adam Boland

When John Key touches down in Fiji on Thursday, he will become the first New Zealand Prime Minister to do so since Voreqe “Frank” Bainimarama’s coup 10 years ago.

Mr Key says the timing is right because democracy has been restored.

So, how did Bainimarama – a former military strongman – reinvent himself and bring his country in from the cold? And is Mr Key right in declaring a win for democracy?

Quick history lesson

Frank Bainimarama seized power from Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase during a bloodless coup in December 2006 over two key issues.

The first, ironically, was that Bainimarama felt Prime Minister Qarase had been too lenient to the people behind an earlier coup in 2000.

Secondly, he was furious with moves by the Qarase government to hand over all coastal land rights to indigenous Fijians.

“We will be left with our grass skirts, our canoes and a life back to cannibalism,” he said at the time. “What will happen to the common Fijian when there are no investors?”

He argued the move would be unfair to the country’s ethnic Indian minority and destroy the thriving tourism sector.

When Qarase refused to back down, Bainimarama’s men moved in, placing the Prime Minister under house arrest.

Bainimarama promised new elections would be held in 2009 but the country was later suspended from the Commonwealth and the Pacific Islands Forum when that didn’t happen.

A new mandate

Elections were finally called for 2014 after the unveiling of a new constitution. Bainimarama stood down from the military to run for office as leader of the newly-formed FijiFirst Party.

image of bainimarama votingThe party won 32 of the 50 parliamentary seats – an overwhelming majority from an election declared by international observers to have been conducted fairly.

Political experts felt Bainimarama was endorsed for his strong record on building key infrastructure like roads and hospitals and for trying to dismantle ethnic divisions.

In his victory speech, the now democratically-elected Prime Minister Bainimarama promised to “rule for all Fijians”.

His critics say that actually means he doesn’t allow opposition.

Still ruling by decree?

“The biggest reform now needed is for FijiFirst to reach an accord with the opposition parties over the Constitution,” says Professor Robbie Robertson from Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne.

Fiji’s relatively new constitution includes an extensive bill of rights. But those rights can be easily eroded by a series of old decrees that were never removed and aren’t subject to judicial review.

They’re used selectively but enough to remind people of who’s in charge.

Makereta Komai is editor of the regional news agency PACNEWS which is based in Suva. “The situation has improved somewhat and the media is free to report here in Fiji,” she says. “But the Media Decree in place still places a lot of fear in journalists because of the fines for breaches.”

The decree sets strict parameters on how a story should be reported with special emphasis given to balance. “That is one of the major hurdles for investigative reporting,” says Komai. “Editors have canned stories because there is no comment from the other party, especially if the other party is a government official in a story relating to corruption.”

Parliamentary muscle

The government has found other ways to silence opposition.

Apart from FijiFirst, two other political parties are represented in parliament. The Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) has 15 seats while the National Federation Party (NFP) has three seats.

Just last week, the NFP’s Roko Tupou Draunidalo was suspended from parliament for almost two years. Her crime was to call the Education Minister “an idiot” during the kind of robust debate considered normal in many democratic parliaments.

Draunidalo is a lawyer who in 2012 represented deposed Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase in his corruption trial.

“There are concerns that she is actually being censured for trenchant criticism of the Prime Minister, the Attorney-General and the FijiFirst government,” according to regional political analyst Tess Newton Cain from TNC Consulting.

In January, all three members of the NFP were briefly suspended. The official reason was the party had failed to use a properly certified accountant, but the timing was curious. Just two days earlier, party leader Dr Biman Prasad had written a scathing opinion piece about the state of democracy in Fiji.

After the suspension, Australian Greens senator Janet Rice claimed Fiji had moved from a military dictatorship to a parliamentary dictatorship.

Democracy a “work in progress”

James Batley was the Australian High Commissioner to Fiji when he was suddenly expelled from the country in 2009 as Bainimarama set out to prove his country’s sovereignty.

Batley still hasn’t been allowed back but has told Pasifik News Fiji’s new democracy is a work in progress.

“I think there’s always been a view in Australian circles that it was unrealistic for Fiji just to flick a switch from an unelected government under Frank Bainimarama to a fully functional democracy straight after the elections,” he says.

Mr Batley, who’s now a policy fellow at the Australian National University, says Bainimarama will be around for some time. “So it’s a question of finding ways to deal with him.”

From dictator to Mr Popular

Frank Bainimarama has done much to reshape his image on the world stage.

That includes spending more than FJD$2 million on Washington-based public relations firm, Qorvis. “When Fiji was ostracised by traditional partners such as New Zealand and Australia after the coup in 2006, Bainimarama devoted a lot of time to making new international friends and this has not changed since the 2014 elections,” says Tess Newton Cain.

The Prime Minister is often seen at world events taking leadership positions on pressing issues. “There is no justification, no excuse, for any man to inflict violence on a woman or abuse her in any way. Those who do so are cowards and criminals,” he said on domestic violence. “Fiji is a stark reminder to the world of the frightening new era that is dawning on us all,” he declared on climate change.

It seems his progressive approach doesn’t extend to same-sex marriage. When asked about it recently, he asserted “there will no same-sex marriage in Fiji in my lifetime.” He suggested anyone seeking “that rubbish” should move to Iceland.

Regional power play

And that brings us to this week’s visit by John Key.

New Zealand and Australia led the international outrage over the 2006 coup. They did all they could to freeze the South Pacific country out of regional blocs.

“They assumed in the past they could pressure Fiji and bring it to its knees,” says Swinburne’s Robbie Robertson. “They failed.”

Fiji now has strong bonds with countries like China and Indonesia. Many observers say Bainimarama was keen to show Australia and New Zealand that he could survive without their support.

It seems the New Zealand Prime Minister has accepted the new rules: “It’s time to put the past behind us and move forward.”

The Masonic mystery article in the Fiji times is biased.What about the unsolved murder case that happened on that lodges compound? Why no mention of it?Why hasnt there been an ongoing investigation?Why has the detectives on this case haven't spoken out about the investigation?Why has it been kept quite?There is either someone or a group walking around free for the crimes they committed.That case happened long before the burning of that building in 2000.

Editor,Defending DemocracyWe read in LAHT article ' Taiwanese President Urges China to Improve Democracy, Political Rights' ( 5/6 ), that on Saturday on the 27 th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre the Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen said China must appreciate those who fight for democracy and gain greater international respect by extending political rights." I have no intention of criticising the Chinese political system, but rather I am willing, with heartfelt sincerity, to share Taiwan's experience in becoming a democracy", Tsai wrote on her Facebook page on the anniversary of the deadly crackdown on pro- democracy demonstrators ( mostly students ) in Tiananmen Square on 4June, 1989 when the Chinese military tanks and troops opened fire on unarmed civilians resulting in a death toll estimated in the thousands. The next morning the whole area was hosed down and cleaned up and since then to date the Chinese State has been pretending the massacre did not happen. There is no public debate on it allowed.Tsai's statement said Freedom, Democracy, Human Rights and the Rule of Law " are a way of life and universal values cherished by people around the world".As someone, along with thousands of other fellow Fijians, who has suffered the trauma, the injustice, the repression and the degradation of the universal values the Taiwanese president refers to following our military coups, I absolutely endorse what she says.It's a way of life that all good men and women must fight for and guard vigilantly .Sincerely,Rajend Naidu

Anon@6.52AM. Why don't you go fuck a goat you motherfucking cock-sucker? NZ and Australia helped a lot with the recent cyclone, and it's mother-fuckers like you who should be thankful. On the other hand, it's best you continue wanking while sniffing your mother's stink sapo you cunt.

Welcome Mr. Key. We knew NZ will buckle. You guys down there dont have the balls we have. So make sure you learn this lesson once and for all. We are the kings of the Pacific. You can bring bags of lollies for our leaders, as subjects do for their kings. Have an enjoyable stay here.

So sad to see Mr. Key lower his standard to the level of Bai. You are only helping to cover his attrocious crimes of traitor, murder, corruption and deceit, lying, stealing, ....Those who have suffered and are suffering will not forget.

Anon@8.46AM. Kings of the pacific? Get real motherfucking cunt. If it wasn't for NZ's assistance after Winston, you and your prostitute mother would still be living off scraps and cowering in the tent LOL

North Korea Holds Farcical Elections Every 5 Years. Of course, there's only one name on the ballot, so it's not really democracy in action, but it helps the nation call itself the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea. Citizens are permitted to veto said candidate by publicly crossing the name out, but that rarely happens ( if ever - presumably punishment for that kind of dissent is significant) - by Catherine Forth, Destination Tips 13 April, 2016.In Fiji's purported transition from dictatorship to democracy it had more names on the ballot but the election outcome was already established by a State gerrymandered election.And some people did not require TOO MUCH to convince themselves that " democracy has returned to Fiji".But has it really?

Dear Mr. John Key, When you come, please do not meet Tupou Draunidalo. She has been fired from Parliament for saying truthful things which hurt the ministers. We do not allow this to happen in Fiji. You can learn from this and also start firing those who challenge you in your Parliament debates.

There is something so perculiar or evil about human nature when it comes to power, authority and wealth. Elected representatives and servants of the people morph into lords, kings and dictators. The language of respect, empathy and understanding transforms into decrees, threats and intimidation. Promises are replaced with lies and distortions of the truth. National interest is subordinated to personal or party interests. Personal wealth and remaining in power is treasured more than the hopes of a vulnerable and developing nation. Yes, Lord Acton was correct when he said, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”

But why? Can we be an exception to that “rule”? How can we ensure that our aspiring leaders are not potential monsters and dictators? How can we assess political candidates to filter out the thorns from the wheat? How can we train our children to be humble, respectful, honest, hard-working and never depart from those values and principles? What makes a man or a woman? What makes excellent leaders? What defines exemplary leadership and conduct? How can we develop these? What kind of a society do we really want to be? How can we go about constructing that society?

Please John Key meet our next Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. This man will transform Fiji and give all the Fijians their rights. He will chase all Indians back to India where they belong. All Fijians should unite and vote SODELPA.

Editor,Democratic ElectionsWe read in LAHT article ' Specter of Rigged Elections Looms in Kenya ' ( 7/6 ) that the spectre of electoral chicanery again looms over Kenya, where 2 people were killed and 5 suffered gunshots Monday during protests against what the opposition describes as a plot to manipulate the next elections, set for a little more than a year from now.Coalition for Reform and Democracy ( CORD ) wants the heads of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to resign and clear the way for clean elections...Yes, all democratic elections are not clean even with all the election paraphernalia in place.We had such an election in Fiji in 1982 which required a Royal Commission of Inquiry remember?Any more recent one?Sincerely,Rajend Naidu

Bainimarama the best so far, breaking down Ethnic divisions, and building infrastructure. Qarase was good to a point but division was his best so was Rabuka. Please don't bring Rabuka back, Gavoka looks good to some degree, but lacks the backing. All in all, it will be Bainimarama again and FF in 2018.

Editor,Work in ProgressGeorgia became a FIFA member in 1992. This morning Georgia beat world champion and European champion Spain one nil.When did Fiji become a FIFA member? Like democracy soccer too seems to be " work in progress " in Fiji - with very little progress. Nobody expects Fiji to progress to point where it can beat Spain and all that. But surely the people of Fiji are entitled to expect Fiji soccer to have a better standing in the region given its long history?Fiji might have lacked intellectuals, as academic turned government minister and Establishment Intellectual Dr Mahendra Reddy spuriously claimed. But Fiji has never lacked highly talented players.So what's the problem?The problem is the mediocre people running Fiji soccer.They are there using Fiji soccer for their own aggrandisement .We have people like that in soccer, in politics, in the university...It's a crying shame.Sincerely,Rajend Naidu

Very true. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. I believe it is because most humans are weak, and that is why they need to fight to go to the top. It gives them some sort of false feeling of being important when they get there.

When Bainimarama gives a piece of land to his relative John in Vakabalea for instance, it becomes clear to everybody living in the area that if such a "small" case of nepotisim is OK, then much bigger shit is alright too. If only Bainimarama knew the sort of shit his relative John can say in his back, he would think twice before helping him! (apparently Bainimarama is dumb... not a topper) BTW, that is another aspect of human nature, jealousy. How can a poor man have respect for a rich man? Religion found a way to demonize the rich, but in fact if the poor gets rich, he will change his views as well...

oilei Fiji sonalevu Army talking of their "narrow escape" from Sinai like they were actually part of the combat and managed to heroically exit with guns blazing at the enemy! segai, na lamusona qori. everyone is talking and deriding the Fiji Army, not the least our Aust, US and NZ comrades. The joke now is if Frank the supposedly messiah of Fiji did a shitloaded dash for his life when his loyal troops (well back then we had such, no more now) were fighting it now, then you can expect his cicilevu army boys to do the same or worse. Even the Winston relief efforts are now the talk of the barracks in NZ and Aust.i.e. absolutely useless the Fiji army personnel were skills wise let alone no materials or equipt. Their commanders had to make goody goody comments about Fiji army for politically diplomatic reasons. A Ni-Vanuatu once told me that when the Fiji Army came to Vanuatu for for the cyclone relief, all they brought were their own supplies and nothing else. zilch! all they did was bullshit cut grass along the roads and play rugby touch in the afternoons. Evenings were always about free-flowing kava and song and dance. vakamadua, vakaotia neimami tax, yavu lamusona, vinaka cake me ra mai taqomaki keimami na sotia mai india se Pakistan. they would not cost so much and would have at least some iota of civic duty and responsibility. ni dramica tiko vakalevu na i cici nei Aiyaz.

6/4/2016In Fiji, we unfortunately have a long and unsettling history confronting issues of ethnicity. That history includes the coups of 1987 and 2000 that were justified on ethnic grounds and that drove away many skilled and talented people, retarding our national development and scarring our nation for many years.

We have done our best to move away from that tarnished legacy and begin a new chapter in Fiji by giving every Fijian the benefits of common and equal citizenship and promoting a culture that rewards on the basis of merit and achievement. We have walked into the future together, as one people, to fulfil our true potential, unhindered by the ethnic prejudices of the past.

Yet still, there are some who cannot help but see our progress and development through the lens of ethnicity. Those individuals who cannot let go of the politics of division and who, at every turn, use divisive politics for their own cheap political gain.

We again saw that dangerous and divisive rhetoric in Parliament on 1 June 2016 when NFP Parliamentarian Honourable Tupou Draunidalo made inaccurate and deeply irresponsible accusations against a fellow member. As a result, I strongly support Parliament’s decision to suspend her.

Hon. Draunidalo incorrectly attributed the quote "dumb natives" to Minister for Education Honourable Dr. Mahendra Reddy during an exchange in Parliament on 1 June 2016. Upon review of the audio recording, it was revealed Hon. Reddy never made any such statement and that Hon. Draunidalo alone mentioned the quote “dumb natives”. Instead of engaging in rational debate, she sought to add an element of ethnic prejudice into the exchange and mischaracterise the Minister’s statement.

To levy such a heavy charge against Hon. Reddy without any factual proof is inexcusable. It discredits the Minister unfairly and brings ethnic tension and discord into a conversation where none existed.

This was a blatant attempt by Hon. Draunidalo to set back the clock and destroy the vision of ethnic harmony that the FijiFirst Government has worked tirelessly to make a reality. We cannot tolerate this regressive mind-set that threatens our democracy and our Constitution by seeking to divide us along ethnic lines.

It is unacceptable for any member of Parliament to misuse their right to engage in parliamentary debate by falsely accusing another of ethnic discrimination. Not only did Hon. Draunidalo misrepresent Hon. Reddy’s statements, she also went on to call him a “fool” and an “idiot”, blatantly disregarding the Standing Orders and degrading the work, dignity and standing of the Parliament, which represents the Fijian people.

Such careless insults and accusations have no place in modern Fiji or in Parliamentary debates, as clearly seen under Standing Order 62(4) (a) and (d) which states that it is out of order for a member, when speaking, to use offensive words against Parliament or another member or words that are likely to promote or provoke feelings of ill-will or hostility between communities or ethnic groups within Fiji.

Our Parliamentarians must discuss the real issues of national development, climate finance and adaptation, the status of women in our society, economic and youth empowerment and our children’s education objectively without reference to ethnicity, religion or the other forms of commonality. By pointing to our divisions, you stop us from reaching our true potential as a nation. Therefore, it is not in the nation’s best interest for elected leaders to pull out the ethnicity card at every drop of the hat as the Opposition has a tendency to do.

Hon. Draunidalo’s comments have also inflamed ethnic tensions and debates on social media. Her comments have been treated as accurate by some and used to divide Fijians on the basis of ethnicity. For her part, Hon. Draunidalo had taken no steps to correct her error prior to today’s parliamentary debate or quell the divisive, ethnically charged comments that have been posted online.

Those who have followed Hon. Draunidalo’s example by spreading lies and insults on social media should be ashamed. It is in no one’s interest to use untruthful statements to gain public support, and it is not befitting any elected leader or Fijian citizen to do so.

I urge every Fijian to be wary of those who fan the flames of ethnic tension on social media, and to distance themselves from any who seek to use ethnic division as a tool to destroy.

Given our history, Parliament must never allow such reckless behaviour to go unchecked. Given our history, we must put in place deterrents so that such events never occur again.

We have rules in place designed to ensure our democracy operates fairly and accountably and those rules need to be enforced. Only then can we truly strive to be a nation with a Constitution that protects equal citizenry, civil and political rights and equal access to economic opportunity for all Fijians.

Pro-FijiFirst traditional heads will also be there in unique vanua gathering

Vanua chiefs of Naitasiri Province will meet on Friday to nominate who should be SODELPA party leader.

This will be a unique meeting because a majority of the chiefs are pro-FijiFirst.

They are attending it because it’s a vanua meeting. SODELPA requires the provincial endorsement for those aspiring to become party leader. Anything that requires provincial input must involve the vanua chiefs, according to Naitasiri.

It is understood that at the vanua level, it is apolitical which means they leave their politics outside and discuss what is best for the province.

The chiefs have two options. One is to nominate someone from the province who will fight for the interests of the province.

The second is to back one of the five nominees whose nominations have been confirmed, with conditions attached. The five are a former prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka (Cakaudrove), SODELPA MP Viliame Gavoka (Nadroga), Opposition Whip Ratu Isoa Tikoca (Tailevu), Anare Jale (Nasinu/Lau) and Mick Beddoes (part of Nadi).

It is believed that Naitasiri is the only one of the 14 provinces that uses this practice.

Naitasiri has been given a special dispensation by the party to go ahead with the meeting because the chiefs and their people were attending a chiefly funeral the week nominations closed (May 31).

It is understood they had requested for an extension well in advance.

This is not a normal SODELPA meeting. The chiefs take over because they want to ensure that whoever is nominated will not quickly forget Naitasiri.

After the meeting they go back to their various political parties.

Many of the chiefs used to back the Laisenia Qarase-led SDL government. But they had switched to FijiFirst because they were impressed with the developments done by the Bainimarama government. While they openly campaign for FijiFirst, they leave it to the people to exercise their choice.

In the 2014 general election, they helped put four Naitasiri candidates into Parliament, Minister for Defence, National Security and Immigration Timoci Natuva, FijiFirst backbencher Alifereti Nabulivou and SODELPA MPs Aseri Radrodro and Ro Kiniviliame Kiliraki.

@anon 11.09.AMYou are joking right? When you say " we have rules in place designed to ensure our democracy operates fairly and accountably and those rules need to be enforced. Only then can we truly strive to be a nation with a constitution that protects equal citizenry, civil and political rights and equal access to economic opportunity for all Fijians". What democracy and equal citizenry? The Animal Farm variety? What constitution? The one that was imposed on " all Fijians"?I can see why you have not put down your name : you know people will laugh at your joke of a comment.

Editor,A Quick History LessonIn his letter to The Australian 6/6 Colin Douglas accuses a young Muhammad Ali of " reverse racism", that is, being anti- White and all that and claims the world is likely to gloss over what he regards his checkered past now that he is no more.Perhaps Colin would find it illuminating and educational to read the article ' Why Muhammad Ali's anti- colonialism still matters' by Ishaan Tharoor in The Washington Post 6/6). Ishaan writes about foreign affairs for The Washington Post. He previously was a senior editor at TIME, based in Hong Kong and later in New York.If Colin read it alongside the piece written by Jeff McGill titled ' Boat people not new' ( The MacArthur Advertiser 1/6 ) he would get a grasp of why anti- colonialism still matters in the Australian context.That's the beauty about reading : you read and you learn.Sincerely,Rajend Naidu

Topsy Turvy Reddy is at it again - democratization of education. But teachers have no right to tell the Head Master or Principal why the curriculum is fuckedup,or why a particular book is not working. That will be insubordination. What an idiot of a Minister.

The Fiji Army is just like its leader Bainimarama. Bainimarama ran down the cassava patch and shit in his pants when people were chasing him. When he has his friends with guns around him, he jumps on women's stomach and strip them naked and make them run around.ie BULLY THE UNARMED.So now he's bullying people in Parliament etc etc etc.

Fijian soldiers learned from their leader. So when ISIS came, the Fijian boys ran to a hotel. Now they sitting there having bacon and eggs for breakfast and watching TV.And when they come back to Fiji they BULLY the unarmed civilians.

Editor,Role of Police/ Security Forces in a DemocracyWe read in the breaking news article ' Papua New Guinea Police Shoot At Students, Four Killed: Report' by Eoin Blackwell, Senior Associate Editor, Huffpost, Australia (8/6 ) that PNG police shot at protesting UPNG students who were trying to march to parliament , leaving 4 dead and over a dozen injured.( They were protesting poor governance and corruption).Students said police fired directly into the crowd when students would not let them arrest the president of the student council.Last week former prime minister Sir Michael Somare reportedly censured police for arresting protesting students at the behest of politicians.Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director said " the police shooting of protesting students in Port Moresby is shocking, and a truly terrible incident for which all security officials responsible for using lethal force unnecessarily need to be brought to justice... Prime Minister Peter O'Neill should immediately launch an impartial, thorough and transparent investigation and all officials found criminally culpable for orders and actions resulting in injuries and death should be held to account, no matter what their rank".That indeed is how the due process of the law is to meant to apply in a democracy.In a letter to the Sydney Morning Herald 3/6 with reference to the conduct of local police Jennifer Brigg's wrote, " I would like [Police Minister Tory] Grant to explain to all police that it is their role in a democracy to facilitate peaceful protest, not to crush it".With all the AFP in PNG I wonder if the police role in a democracy has been explained to the police there?Sincerely,Rajend Naidu

@11.08am; we can see that you support Bai and Khai, regardless of all the glaring and serious crimes and offences they have committed against people, companies, organisations, communities and the whole nation. You paint Bai and his dictatorship as the best effort to break down the ethnic divisions that have plagued our land for many years. You sing about the democratic processes in place we should respect as well as the merit-based system now in practice, etc, etc.Have you read your opinion to yourself? Do you take time to think about what you are thinking about before you express your thoughts in words? Do you know what has been really happening in Fiji since 2006 military coup? How much do you really know about Voreqe, Khaiyum, and all they have been doing since 2006? Do you know that they have been responsible for the torture and murders of innocent people, including women? Do you know that they have amassed wealth and ill-gotten gains from their dictatorship? Do you know that they have robbed the people of Fiji and stolen from people’s hard earned savings ( FNPF ), and the national treasury? They have appointed their own brothers, aunties, cousins, sons and daughters, friends and relatives? Do you know that they have done some of the worst things any person, or group or Government has done in the history of Fiji?Finally, have you benefitted personally from Bai and Khai’s rule? Do you fear God and respect the rights and freedoms of others around you? Please remember this: a lesson from nature and engineering. Foundations are very important. The more solid and deeper the foundation, the longer structures will last. Bai’s rule is based on lies, deceit, fear, intimidation, greed, manipulation and mind control. It is evil to the core, absolutely wrong and must be condemned. Bai and Khai’s rule will end soon. Because that is the destiny of all rulers. Their empire will never last. Their foundation will crumble. Stop reading the Fiji Sun. Stop listening to FBC TV. These are two major channels you must avoid because all they do is to tell lies and confuse people from seeing the truth about what is happening in Fiji. Yes, Bai has given you some roads and bridges, and some sweet cookies. But take time to think about all they have done. Judge them for all their records of good and bad, lies and murders, tortures and stealing, …… Find out about the whole story, from beginning to end. Why did Voreqe commit treason in the first place? What caused him to threaten the Commissioner of Police, Andrew Hughes and his family? Was he ever an excellent leader? Is he even properly qualified to lead the country? Is he really well or does he still suffer from a mental instability since he shit his pants from the whizzing bullets close to his ears? Who is this boy Khaiyum? How can he be just write his own constitution and force it upon us? The list of questions is endless.I hope you will realise the truth someday. I pray that you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. Vinaka.

"Do you fear God and respect the rights and freedoms of others around you?"

Unfortunately Tomasi, all your pontificating and grandstanding with your continual need to bring religious belief into it is does not help your cause.

If you open your eyes and listen as well you will see that many of those that push the 'fear God' mantra do not respect the rights and freedoms of others, no different than those you allege as being dictators with respect to the political situation.

When people like you then also make statements such as this;

"Stop reading the Fiji Sun. Stop listening to FBC TV. These are two major channels you must avoid because all they do is to tell lies and confuse people from seeing the truth about what is happening in Fiji"

you make a bigger fool of yourself because you are behaving like a dictator. You are suggesting that people should not be given a choice, or have a choice to enable making their own balanced view and possible conclusions of a situation.

Those with a balanced mind will always understand that things could be better and generally the majority will strive to make things better for themselves based on what they see, hear and want.

These so called leaders f wits are so full of themselves....why close the suva roads and cause chaos for john and why all the pomp and ceremony qiliho....Are these all really necessary,,,,,the real chiefs are quiet and now thw wannabee chiefs are applying the chiefly ceremonies to themselves,,,,,,hypocrites!!!! dou vicai!

@7.03am. I hear you loud and clear. And make no mistake, God hears you loud and clear. Your language and tone speaks a very dangerous yet pathetic attitude. It suggests either a lack of knowledge, sensitivity and awareness of the divine realm or just a blatant disregard for God and the need for humanity to recognise His sovereignty over all things.

You are so proud and sure of yourself and think you can live without him without consequences. Please, do not be a fool. The fool says in his heart there is no God. You never even responded to the issues I raised. Maybe you just do not give a heck about the truth. You are one of bai's followers and believers because you are of the same feather. Please take stock of your life before it is too late.

People say that the grave is the ultimate leveller. At the cemetery, you come face to face with the fact that death is not only the great leveller. But death is also not the end of the journey. Someday, when you are breathing your last breath, you may thank believers in helping you to get out of your false security and pride and ignorance. Be still and know that there is a God in heaven. To live is to know and love and fear Him.

Editor,Everyone Equal Before the Law in A DemocracyOne of the student protest banners read " PM Must Respect the Rule of Law". Is there a public perception in PNG that the PM has placed himself above the law?There has been a long standing allegation of official corruption against PM Peter O'Neill who claims the allegation is " politically motivated" and has not made himself available for a relevant police interview. Is the PM using his position and power to dodge the corruption charge? That would amount to Abuse of Office and Abuse of Power, wouldn't it?Time will tell why the PM is not prepared to have his day in court to clear his name in connection with the corruption allegations.It is of course not uncommon for national political leaders to be accused of corruption.Some are clearly true.Heaps of the top political leaders in Brazil have been linked to high level official corruption and the relevant anti- corruption authorities want them to face justice ( DW News 9/6 ).That is as should be in a democracy. Everyone - regardless of their status - should be treated equally before the law.Sincerely,Rajend Naidu.

@ Anon 10.02am. Please read and understand my whole comments before you attempt to respond. You continue to suffer from your bias because you have made up your mind about what to believe. You talk about choice. Two things to note.

1. When I told you about not just reading the Fiji Sun and the FBC TV, I was actually encouraging you expand your information scope and horizon. The two media I cited are well known propaganda tools for the Bai regime.

2. The FFP regime does not believe in the freedom of people to choose the life they want to live. They are purely dictators of a special kind. They give you many things free, yet they take away our freedoms that really matter.

Before you respond, pause awhile and find out what rights and freedoms they have forcefully and unilaterally taken away from us. From unions, to families, to indigenous rights, NLTB, media, elections, FNPF, flag, holidays, churches, Council of Chiefs, etc. etc.

Think about that awhile and tell us what you think. Do not quarrel with me, let's talk. That is the right way to discuss matters of national interest.

Editor,Improvements in FijiWe read in Moses Mani's letter to the Fiji Times of 8 June that " our nation seems to improve in almost every sector everyday" ( except Fiji soccer).Then we read in the Fiji Times the next day that " about 200 people call the streets and parks in Lautoka home" and the number seems to be growing by the day according to a Lautoka man familiar with the social issue.It would seem the improvements in " almost every sector everyday" is not as widespread as Mani seems to think.But it's human to see only what we want to see.Sincerely,Rajend Naidu

"Before you respond, pause awhile and find out what rights and freedoms they have forcefully and unilaterally taken away from us. From unions, to families, to indigenous rights, NLTB, media, elections, FNPF, flag, holidays, churches, Council of Chiefs, etc. etc."

1. FNPF, what rights have they removed?

2. Churches, what rights have they removed?

What you may consider as a 'right' others will consider as an 'abuse'.

Do not mix up needed change for the betterment of the majority with a removal of something that perhaps a few benefited from at too high a cost to others.

@2:14 PMsome things are clearly wrong in the world and sometimes only a dictator can fix them.if we were to ALWAYS stick to tradition in every matters, we would actually remain a backward society.tradition can be wonderful, anyone has only to spend a few days in a remote village to witness it.on the other hand, it can also keep people behind by preventing large scale development, just think about land issues.

Bainimarama managed to get his 32/50 seats because a lot of people were pissed off by tradition. that is a sad thing,but one has to be really pissed off to be happy with that.

I hope Sodelpa will reach the 21st century as soon as possible and resolve all the issues that are important to us these days,from rubbish management to transparency. We are fed up to wait.

By the way, I think the "flag" change in your list is actually a good example where only a dictator can actually operate the right move. It just amazes me to see that more than 50% of Fiji people are proud to fly a flag that shouts "British junior territory"!!!! Sometimes common sense has to be imposed.

@anon3.42PMDictators don't impose " common sense" . They impose arbitrary rule and tyranny on their own people.Have you just emerged from living in a cave? You have you no sense of history? Talking about dictators imposing common sense!You need a mental check up, mate!

@6:05 PMFor your information, I used the word "SOMETIMES". That means that sometimes the population is wrong. I could give you a list right here of cases where most people were wrong, but let's just mention 4 examples:

democracy is not equal to RIGHT and common sense. When Sodelpa wants a Christian state, it is common sense that it is a backward idea.Sometimes, dictators can have more common sense than the general sense. SOMETIMES. The flag change is a good case.

Editor,Parliamentary Session in a Totalitarian State.North Korea announced Thursday it will convene a rare parliamentary session late this month, when it may confer a new title on leader( dictator ) Kim Jong UN as he further tightens his grip on power.The fourth session of the 13 th Supreme People's Assembly will be convened on June 29.The SPA meets only once or twice a year, mostly for day long sessions to rubber stamp budgets and other decisions like personnel changes in government agencies made by the ruling communist party. ( Daily Maverick 9/6 ).That sounds so much like how some parliamentary sessions are conducted in a democracy, especially the rubber stamping part.Sincerely,Rajend Naidu

@Anon 2.14 pm. Thank you for your comments. First to respond to your questions on what rights and freedoms have been removed.

1. Bai and Khai have unilaterally and illegally made substantial changes to the management and operations of the FNPF. They did this by decree. Remember, the FNPF does not belong to them, their father or to their regime. It belongs to the workers and families of Fiji.

2. As if the above was not enough, they have also removed our rights to question their decree. Not in the media, neither in our highly compromised justice system of justice under their appointed CJ Anthony Gates. Please look up the civil case involving one FNPF member.

3. The Mthodist Church in Fiji was subjected to extreme and illegal pressure by Khai and Bai during the years immediately after their illegal coup. The Church was forbidden to carry out its normal duties and services to its congregations. They were told not to preach anything pertaining to political issues. Their annual meetings and national Conference was banned for several years. Their pastors were abused and interrogated, and a few were tortured. It is all history now but the scars are still there.

4. Trade unions also suffered a similar treatment. Because they were leaders representing a significant and vital segment of our population, they were threatened, interrogated and tortured to intimidate and break them into line according to their agenda.

5. The Fiji Police Commissioner, Mr Andrew Hughes and his family received threats and physical abuse from the coward Bai and his thugs. They did nothing wrong, but loved the people of Fiji and were transforming our Police Department into a very smart, efficient and effective force for positive development in Fiji. They were well respected in the region and around the world. So much so that they were assigned international duties in non peaceful areas of the world. But the Bai/Khai regime wanted Hughes out. The same treatment was done for Groenwald from South Africa.

You see, I can go on and on until 2018. There are cases involving individuals, companies, organisations, GCC, villages, families, etc, etc. The Constitution gives them full immunity. That is the main and only reason why they had to illegally abrogate the Constitution of Fiji and make one for themselves.

One question: Is it ok for you if anyone just comes to your home and forcefully evict you and your own family. They then occupy your home and threaten you to keep absolutely quiet or you will be tortured or killed??? Then a neighbour rushes to your defence to stop the terrorists. They punch him and kick him when he lies unconscious on the ground??? The reporters come and their cameras are smashed, etc

Please kindly reconsider your stand for the criminals and murderers who are ruling Fiji. Do more research, scan the whole story, discover the whole truth for yourself. Do not allow me or Qorvis or Khaiyum to tell you what to believe. I respect your right to decide what is best for your life and your family. I will also fight to protect your rights and your freedoms. In fact, that is precisely what I am trying to do now. Bot only for you and me, but also for our whole nation and our future generations. Vinaka

Again - Welcome to the coup coup land, J.Key. We love you. Like last nite, we can always tell you off anytime we like, hurl abuses at you, abuse your journalists, condemn your past Prime Ministers, and show contempt for you. You will come running to Viti whenever we invite you. You are the man.

Editor,Not Modern Democracy, is it?Victor Marshall ( smh 10/6 ) writes " I read that PNG police have opened fire at students protesting over allegations of corruption from PM Peter O'Neill..." And smh publishes another letter with the title ' Shooting by PNG police a sign of barbarism'.Now I don't care that such a critical view has been adopted by the media in Australia . It's the truth. It can't be dismissed as colonial condescension, can it?The police in a modern democracy is not meant to be opening fire on unarmed protesters. Full stop.That's the kind of thing one associates with Tiananmen Square and a communist state, not a modern democracy.Sincerely,Rajend Naidu

@3:18 PM According to the flag specialist who came to Fiji, holding a referendum was the big mistake in New Zealand. It was the first time in history that a nation held a referendum to change its flag. The government should always go ahead on its own, after all the government has been elected democratically in the first place.

Editor,Keeping A Country on the Democratic Path.We read in the Papua New Guinea Today article ' International Pressure Mounting on PNG Government' ( 9/6 ), that the UN, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Transparency International issued separate statements expressing concern over PM Peter O'Neill's initial reaction to the shooting of student protesters.The organisations urged the government to establish a prompt, impartial and independent investigation to determine who is responsible for the unnecessary and excessive use of force.Amnesty International says the shooting of the students is a disgraceful attack on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression,adding it is reminiscent of the worst excesses of repressive regimes in the region [ re : The Indonesian State brutality against the West Papuan people fighting for their right to self- determination].It says the PM's reaction has been completely inadequate, blaming students for what happened to them, and sought to evade accountability.The UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon stressed the importance of respect for the right to peaceful protest and freedom of assembly.Human Rights Watch says a one-sided government investigation to hunt for alleged " instigators" among the students is simply unacceptable. It says PNG as a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights has an international legal obligation to respect the rights to life, bodily integrity, and security as well as the right to protest and investigate all potential violations.Transparency International, PNG says shooting at defenceless students is simply unacceptable.PINA has also condemned the use of firearms against unarmed students.If the PNG PM Peter O'Neill thought he could get away with his initial " blaming the victim" reaction he has had some serious rethinking to do.Sincerely,Rajend Naidu

John Key should have knwn better. Frank has Aiyaz and Gates fingers up his big arse so deep that he will continue to spruik such spiteful remarks against dissenters with ignorance and stupidity. Frank lai sava mada nai cici duka tiko qori sonalevu

The identical smiles both Key and Bainimarama are wearing on their mugs for the camera are what the Fijians call " lasulasu" smile/ a false, put on smile. It would be nice to do a comic strip piece to capture what the two are really thinking of each other.

Bible college raided in India; Ministry leader claims 'bogus charges'Friday, January 18, 2008 | OneNewsNow.com Staff (OneNewsNow.com)Select Language​▼The executive director of Alpha International Ministries, which trains missionaries to plant churches in India, says a Bible college operated by the ministry has been attacked in Northern India. The school is fighting charges of forced conversion by authorities. On May 16, radical Hindu groups accused Alpha Bible College students of forcefully converting people. Local police forcefully entered the campus and two administrators were written up for allegedly converting young men to Christianity. Benny Mathews, executive director of Alpha International Ministries, says wealthy anti-Christian extremists are behind the persecution. "These cases are brought to the court system -- and courts are willing to listen to such petitions, too," he remarks. "That is kind of hardening to all of us to see how they're misusing this and trying to persecute us for doing something that is right," the ministry leader continues. "I mean, we didn't force anybody to change. It is the Word of God that changes the lives and hearts of people." Mathews encourages Christians in America to pray and voice their opposition to what he calls "bogus charges." He firmly believes that "voices from the United States" can be heard in India because many American firms are investing in a booming Indian economy. "Our voices need to be heard," he urges. Mathews says persecution against Christians is on the rise throughout India as more people are converted from Hinduism to Christianity. Alpha's ministry leaders have petitioned the court to open all aspects of the Alpha Bible College case so the public can investigate all of the facts.

@12.52pm. I like the fact he acknowledged the differences between our nations on our challenges and priorities.This is something both countries need to understand in order to have a healthy relationship. We have to start speaking up more for ourselves and let the world know who we are,what we want,why we are the way we are,the problems we face etc etc.We can't just be a spoon fed nation by receiving aid and to meet their demands,instead consult,understand our perspective and work with us to solve our problems,build and develop our nation because like our PM said "we don't always want to be dependent on aid."I fully agree with our PM on this.I await to see the framework implemented on how both governments will conduct their affairs.

I lost faith in God when Rabuka spoke to him and God in his kind heart permitted Rabuka to carry out the 87 Coup. Not only did God not stop Itaukei from looting and ran sacking innocent indo Fijian families but Rabuka let it go.

@8.18pm So what are you going to do to fix your 3rd world country up Manasa? 3.10am has put your country on par with North Korea.Well I live it in your hands to rescue it from falling into a 4th world country if such a transition occurs or else your country can be on another list of failed states in the world.Maybe Wikipedia will probably update its page on the country's history detailing in a special column about the total collapse eh?

@ Manasa 8.18pm. While I understand your freedom to express yourself feely, I cannot understand why you curse God and blame him for all our human frailties, including Rabuks's lies about his divine calling to justify his illegal actions in 1987. Please know that you are treading on hallowed grounds when you speak of God.

By the way, I do not know what god you refer to or do not believe. But may I humbly ask you to discover God for yourself and stop hiding behind other people's conception and assumptions about Him. Yes, I am referring to the YHWH, the God of Abraham, Yitshak and Yaacov, the God and Chief Sovereign universe, which includes heaven and earth.

Please, first get to know and understand someone before you speak about him. Similarly, please discover God for yourself before you curse. On His authority, I promise you that He will reveal Himself to you if and only if you humbly and sincerely ask Him to to. All it takes is a simple heartfelt words of prayer. He will meet you just where you are and when you surrender to Him my friend, you will never be the same again. Your curse will turn into gratitude, praise and worship. You will finally discover who you are, where you came from and where you are heading. But right now, you are a lost soul my friend. Until you find him, you will never be at peace with yourself and your language will be filled with curse and negativity, a true expression of a frustrating and hopeless life. Remember, God created you for a purpose higher than yourself. You are a wonderful person destined for eternity with Him. So please stop cursing and living the life you live alone. Get connected to Destiny and God who is Eternity in person. May the LORD bless you.

So Manasa if religion was fucking up your native land as you have concluded,why didn't you do anything to stop Rabuka and Speight from fucking up your country and native land?No point in mentioning some imaginary fiction being out of a story book that you clearly are frustrated with,that your indigenous peoples worship.After all you know he does not exist and is a lie,am I correct?So since God does not exist and is a myth then surely such a being does not have the power to stop your people (The indigenous) and Rabuka from looting and ransacking innocent Indo Fijians and other peoples eh?

However,you are not some fictional being,you are not some fictional being or character in a story book, you exist,you have the power to make things happen and you have a father and fathers before him.So what did you do whilst you knew all this?What did you do to try to stop such events to unfold?and if you knew there is no evidence and proof of a supreme being why didn't you speak to Rabuka and use your logic to persuade him from not fucking up your native land?Where were you?Where were you when the looting and ransacking occurred?Where were you when you knew religion is a lie and they were lying to your indigenous people?Where were you when hate was breeding amongst the nation?Where were you when people were losing their life's?Where were you when crimes were committed across the nation?Where were you when there was upheaval and chaos across the nation?Where were you to save the innocent life's?Where were you to restore order in humanity when all else was in disaster?Where were you when businesses was set on fire?Where were you when the mass rapes of the innocent civilians of Fiji occurred in the 2000 coup?Where were you when the houses of innocent people were stoned and burned down to the ground?Where were you in 87 when your people ran riot on the streets terrorising innocent by standing citizens?Where were you when torture happen in 87 and 2000 coups?Where were you when nationalist were on stage with their racial rhetoric and doctrines preaching away nothing but hate and mass deportation of fellow citizens who are not Indigenous?Where were you when religious Hindu temples were set on fire and vandalised?Where were you when in 2000 coup a refugee camp had to be established for the first time in the country's history?

Tomasi you need to understand that some people in the country have witnessed some of the most cruelest things done unto them or in front of their very own eyes and existence.Some of them no longer believe in God because of the result of horrific experiences which has tormented their minds and souls.Some citizens carry a huge burden of guilt of not doing much to stop what has happened to them or others.Some carry a lot of anger and frustration of what has happened to them or others during those days of the past.Can't you see that for yourself?How does one ask God about all the evil things that has happen to them or someone they knew?Look at all the things that happened during all the coups in the country's history? Where was God for the victims when utterly odious or wicked crimes was set upon them,loved ones,neighbors and communities?crimes that are considered against humanity?

Do I have to really spell these heinous crimes out and start backing it up with news article links,videos,interviews and documentaries?Do I have to start digging in the archives to start plastering and promote the filth of those days and give the thugs a platform to further promote their political ideology and why they carried out their coups along with the crimes that followed with it?Do I have to start polluting the forum of news article after news article of every crime,every criminal case and investigation,humanitarian report,evidential graphic photographs and everything under the sun that has been reported on linked to the past?

Do you understand some of our citizens frustrations,angers and experiences?

@Anon 6.55 am. I do understand your dilemma and people's frustration. Yes, many are confused and rightly question the existence of God when they experience various challenging and traumatic situations. But I ask you, who is committing these crimes and atrocities? Is it us the people who do so, do we not? Apart from natural disasters or "acts of God". most of the problems of this world are the consequences of decisions of us humankind. Many of us have rejected God, and in doing so, they have decided to live for themselves according to their terms and conditions. Yet when the storms and problems come upon them, they blame and curse God.

In reality, there are only two forces at work in our universe. The forces for good and evil. Behind these are the devil ( Lucifer) and God Himself. Because God created us for His purpose out of His awesome love, He has provided us a way out of this great dilemma. That Way is Yahshua, Jesus Christ. In Him, we have the only way to be reconciled to God, discover the Truth about who God is and His purpose for our lives, and experience Life itself just as He had planned it from the beginning. It is also within His equation of life for us that we discover our proper relationships with one another and the world around us. In other words, our vertical relationship with the Divine eternal Spirit Being determines our horizontal existence. Imagine the kite flying in the sky. It remains buoyant and flying high as a result of forces acting vertically and horizontally.

Again, the challenge and invitation is there for anyone who is really sincere. Give God a chance while you still can. Be grateful to God rather than blame and curse him. He is not the cause of our problems. On the contrary, He is the answer and solution. But therein lies the rub. We must humble ourselves and ask for His help. We must come to God His way and submit to Dis terms, not according to ours. For millions of people, it is not necessarily out intellect that is the obstacle, but our heart. If our heart really longs for our Creator and heavenly Father, He will find us. But if we are seeking the wrong things and think we can use God to accomplish our own agendas, that is a sure recipe of striving after the wind, an exercise in futility, only inviting frustration and endless disappointments, ending a death.

But what is worse, is that on the other side of the grave, we come face to face with Our Creator. Only then, He is not our heavenly Father anymore, but our Judge, waiting for us to make full account of how we have used our talents and our very little time on planet earth. That would also be when all our fancy philosophies and dogmatic beliefs in evolution, human rights and freedoms, religion, atheism,agnosticism and me-ism will be weighed in His balance. What then?

I think we should look at life like Seneca did: we shouldn't get angry or cry when shit happens. "The whole of life calls for tears" he said. Let's get real.

I have a problem with "good" and "evil" for the following reasons:

1) the reasons for things happening are so random (from our genetic make-up to our actual circumstances every second in life) that we could end up being pretty much any kind of person, from Hitler to mother Teresa, from Tanoa Visawaqa, Ra Udreudre to Jone Madraiwiwi or even Bainimarama if you like. If, by some "magic way", we could put in front of our eyes all the other possibilities of us (would only a few random things have been different in our life) we could be very much ashamed of who we really COULD BE, and therefore ARE. I don't think therefore we can easily judge others, or ourselves, and I really wonder how God would actually judge us for a single instance of our life (I am not hindu for the record, as I rather tend to believe that our actions are limited to this universe, but there is probably an infinity of them...that's what the maths says).

2) I question very much the nature of "soul". I have no particular reason to think that it is anything more than a make-up of our brain, and I also think that "to be" someone else is exactly the same feeling as "being oneself". What you do to others, you don't do it to God, but...to yourself! That is how I look at life. I would include even animals here. How can there be justice for rats, pigs and humans? Life is itself the final judgement on itself because somehow we actually experience the whole range of possibilities. That is more akin to thell than paradise... but I believe we should at least minimize the pain as much as we can for as many people as possible.

So next time shits happen to you, ask yourself if you couldn't not have been the other person in other circumstances, or if you are not indeed that other person as well... it is a sobering thought.

Tomasi,what kind of God was Rabuka worshipping?What kind of God was George Speight and the nationalist crew worshipping?When they say gods given right, what is the true nature of this?Think about it Tomasi."Acts of mankind"but the ones who were doing these horrific acts were saying "they are doing it because of Gods will" or God spoke to them to unleash his "wrath".Well we all know what unfolded when they were chanting these beliefs.

Were they humbling themselves during the time of those events?Did that God they claim to worship give them an invitation to carry out those actions in his name?Did their God say to them Fiji for Fijians,Indians for India,China for Chinese,European for Europe etc?Did their God say Christian state for Fiji and out with secularism?Did you read all the crimes from every coup Tomasi?Did you see the racism?Did you see the hate?A friend of mine who is Christian once said to me the Devil comes to kill,steal and destroy my reply was are you practicing what you preach?

Where were you Tomasi when the country was in a state of turmoil?Where were you when the masses were caught up in violence?were you preaching what you are saying now when those evil acts occurred?Where were you when the rampage was dished out in all coups?How come you just stood by and let the nation turn into a shit hole?How come life's had to be lost Tomasi?Why did people have to be tortured Tomasi?Why didn't you react quicker enough to stop the spread of violence?

Many bloggers already had this discussion about good and evil in previous blogs and we also saw where a christian and a agnostic were debating on the subject.Towards the end it went dull because some bloggers still had some nasty grudges on the Methodist church because its involvement in politics and controlling peoples life's.The christian and the agnostic were only debating their personal opinions and beliefs like in any healthy democracy. Neither of them were trying to force each others beliefs onto each other because both understood it is down to the individual to decide for themselves what they choose to believe and have a choice to make their own balanced view and conclusions.

Editor,WHAT A FAILED STATE LOOKS LIKEWe don't have to go too far to see it. In his letter ' PNG is a failed state ' ( The Age 11/6 ) Dr Allan Patience, Asia Institute, University of Melbourne, writes :" Australia should be very concerned about what is happening in PNG ( World 10/6 ). [ And considering the hefty foreign aid it gives the country].The confrontation between the police and university students points to a severe crisis engulfing that sad country. The students have been legitimately - and honourably - protesting against a prime minister who has many serious questions to answer about his maladroit handling of the economy and allegations about systemic corruption that is destroying the country's system of governance.PM Peter O'Neill leads a ramshackle government that is unwilling to address widespread poverty, shocking illiteracy rates amid a collapsing education system, horrific rates of violence against women, malnutrition, tribal warfare, escalating crime rates, a dysfunctional police force, disease pandemic, and a collapsing health system. It is time the international community intervened in PNG".Has PNG gone backwards since gaining Independence?PNG has vast natural resources and on top of that gets considerable foreign aid. So why has it come to this state?Bad leadership? Corrupt leaderships?Atleast it has a nice looking flag!Sincerely,Rajend Naidu( This letter is written in solidarity with the protesting students. " The duty of youth is to challenge corruption" - Kurt Cobain. " It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority" - Benjamin Franklin).

@ 8.21am, Thank you. There are many ways of looking at things. Perceptions are the result of our experiences and paradigms. Paradigms determine how we interpret and make sense of our realities. Michael Denton, a chemist, made a profound observation on this. He said it will be exceedingly helpful for us to think about our paradigms, rather than think in our paradigms. This is why divine revelation is so critical. Man is finite, imperfect and therefore vulnerable. To be human is to err. Human inclinations usually lead to imperfect thoughts and behaviours. We need help[; not just any help, but divine help. This is one reason why we have divine revelation, to help us perceive what ordinary eyes cannot see, to see the invisible, hear the echoes of eternity and feel the pulse of heaven itself.

The good news is that our Creator has seen all our existence from the beginning. He has provided solutions and pathways out of our confusions and chaos. We have a Saviour, a Bible and a God. What remains is for us to accept our humanity in all its splendour and frailties, and surrender ourselves to God's sovereignty. God's revelations uses God's standpoint as the starting point of the Biblical paradigm. From His standpoint, we have a boarder-less and seamless eternal space - time continuum as our landscape, divine love as the lens and divine purpose as the reason for our being ( raison de'tre )..

@ 8.25am, evolution is a false religion, based on a spurious theory which presents absolutely no scientific proof. Believe me, I taught science years ago, and I continue to study the evolution of science over time. Please update yourself on the latest about the human genome, or read about quantum physics. After all, Darwin himself confessed it was just a theory. It was others who crafted and sold it to weak hearts and minds as a false religion. A similar trick is being foisted on the human race about climate change. The two have something in common: there is no God. We are totally in control, etc, etc. How absolutely foolish. How can mankind be in control, yet feel so unimaginably vulnerable??? How can nothingness produce everything because of nothing? Even animals know better. That is evolution for you.

@ 10.07, thank you for your thoughts. I am glad you said that people are responsible for our situations. People use God to justify their actions.. It is the same basic human nature I call the Eve factor. When Adam was asked whether he had disobeyed God in the garden, Adam cleverly said, "the woman you gave to me gave the fruit to me, so I ate it". Wow, he blamed God and Eve in one breath. He was totally innocent??? Fast forward : When feeling guilty under the glaring spotlight of the truth and public opinion in 1987, Rabuka said, "God told me to do it." How curious. We are off-springs of the same couple in the garden. Our human heritage either condemns us to decadence or destines us for glory. Yashuah and Calvary is the divine factor that transforms our humanity, creates a new beginning, and empowers us to perceive and operate in the divine paradigm. It's the most wonderful plane in which to exist.You asked where was I during the past events. Very briefly, I was there at the frontline, trying to persuade our soldiers at Parliament House in May 1987. I was there at Laucala Beach trying to protect the home of our newly elected PM, Dr Tim Bavadra. I was wherever I felt I was needed to help people see things from God's perspective. Many good citizens joined us during those times of great confusion and chaos. The devil laughs and brims with confidence whenever he sees us doing things from our own perverted and finite paradigms, where he can confuse, rattle or distort our lenses. But from God's perspective, all we see is LOVE. Love for God and for our fellow humans, where race, colour , creed or paradigm shifts do not matter at all. That my friends is what we need in Fiji today,

Editor,Leaders Focus changed from the people to themselves.Phillip Huggins, the Archbishop of Melbourne, says in his article ' From Jesus to our leaders, the nature of discourse' ( The Age 12/6 ) " ... Australia's political leadership these past years has not exactly inspired us to build a wonderful civilisation . When PM Malcolm Turnbull did his rolling of the previous leader, he promised " an intelligent discourse".Since assuming power he has steered clear of any intelligent discourse. It's all about clinging to power .The essence of good leadership in Huggins view is a commitment to compassion.That has mostly been conspicuous by its absence .That's the kind of leadership that has become all too common.Sincerely,Rajend Naidu

@12:22 PMyou are certainly NOT FIT FOR TEACHING SCIENCE!!!!Darwin "confessed" it was just a "theory"? Do you even know the meaning of theory?The theory of gravity is also "just a theory"!!!nEvolution is the change in our DNA, basically, and the selection process that occurs over long periods of time.There are now dozens of human species that have been found, the mechanic of evolution is very robust and it is not even a topic of discussion anymore!!! It is frightening that "teacher" Tomasi is also teaching that global warming is some sort of "atheist myth"?!?How screwd are some of the teachers these days in Fiji!!!!

Time for you to mature. Watch some of Richard Dawkin's videos for a start!

We certainly reach a similar conclusion when it comes to living together in a spirit of love, but we get there from very different ways!!!I look at the human being as a "possibility", which means that everything is possible. That brings a huge problem when it comes to "judging", which in my opinion is a strictly religious concept. Judgment is impossible if humans are only "possibilities". You only "play" one version of your role as a human, a version where you don't chose your genes, your family, your epoch, your culture, your circumstances, all the things that will determine if you will go or not to "paradise" if I follow your belief... that doesn't sound right.

If the latest develoments in physics are to be proven right one day, it seems that actually all possible outcomes actually happen (see multiverses on youtube). That is basically the end of religion, even eastern religions where there is a belief that the "next life" will depend of this one... all the "other possible lifes" are actually happening right now... physics has become mindblowing...

If we follow the "middle east" religious thinking, one might wish to die as a toddler to make sure that one will go to paradise.... what's the point of living and take the risk to do bad things like some politicians? To me, it makes no sense.

While I acknowledge the sheer amount of weirdness in "existence" and the impossibility of reaching any satisfactory understanding of it, I rather stick to rationnal thinking and philosophical questionning when it comes to giving value and meaning to our lives. I prefer the integrity that comes with a genuine human behavior than the hyprocrisy behind the attitude of most religious people. We can be "good" without a hidden spiritual agenda, that is what being a great person is all about.

Bro if you want something so bad...It was a common method some not all of my teachers in Fiji taught me to get it. "PRAY" HAHAHAHAHA... cannot believe i believed those idiots as a kid.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. If only it were that easy. Prayer has sweet FUCK ALL to do with the things you aquire by working hard. Prayer does Nothing but allow yourself to talk yourself into false hope!!

Church is an escape from peoples reality that they need one day a week. On Sundays you can believe prayer will get you all you dreamed but on monday morning its back to reality.

Fuck the church.When i look back on all those sunday school and church gatherings growing up i realized the majority of the congregation were the most judgemental people ive ever known and called themselves christians. My parents finally woke up to the idiocy which Methodist church preached.

I love Fiji but Jesus christ is it Turning to shit because of Religious Fuckwits. Preaching loud from 3am till late.

@ 4.40 pm. Evolution is a theory, and a spurious one at that. Gravity is a scientific fact, and can be proved scientifically, and conclusively. Even your grandfather can test and see that it is true. All he needs to do is climb a breadfruit tree, and while 13 meters in the air, let go off the tree and float in the air. The force of gravity will bring him down to the ground with a thud. Now you must make sure you have the doctor ready to witness the experiment and gather evidence. Sorry for involving your grandfather, but I hope you remember this lesson.Unlike gravity, evolution is a series of conjecture upon conjecture, supposition upon supposition. Absolutely no conclusive evidence whatsoever. Even if you collect all the bones from the Smithsonian Institute, you will never find your missing link, simply because there is no missing links. Charlie Darwin was a good person, an excellent researcher who worked hard to explain the origin of the species through natural selection. He had an open mind and did come up with many useful ideas and discoveries. One day, as he thought about how species change from one to another, he looked at the bear and the whale. He thought, if the bear happens to get to the water, and remain there for billions of years, it can evolve into a whale. WOW ! What a wonderful idea.

After some time, thinking and thinking about what he was thinking about, he realised the idea of a bear turning into a whale is too impossible to happen. It would take billions of years and trillions of other things to happen in sequence and simultaneously in the right degree and pressure and temperature, etc, etc. Just too impossible. The probability of that happening is just …… so much. IMPOSSIBLE. So he discarded that idea and crossed it from his diary.

Now, when he did that, he was actually deleting his own theory of evolution. Because the bear becoming a whale represented the very essence of his theory. I commend him for his honesty. All he needed to do was read the Book of Genesis to understand how God created every species to reproduce their own kind, etc. He would also found the answers to many questions that bothered him.

BTW, I have listened to Dawkins, the other Charlie, since 20+ years ago. He is trying to convince himself that there is no God. He does not convince me as an atheist. But I feel so sorry for him because although he has a brilliant mind, he is a pathetic fool not to admit the existence of a Creator. I suspect, after watching his lectures and debates for over 20 years now that he blames God for his physical disability. He therefore tries to delete God from his equations. Hence, he is paralysed mentally, physically and spiritually. So sorry for him and for those that still believe in evolution as science.

@7:25 AMwell, for the historical record, you will prove the level of ignorance there was in Fiji amongst some of the teachers in 2016! No wonder Fiji is lagging behind!!!!

Why do you think the "Theory of Gravity" is "just" called a "theory"? BECAUSE in science, there is NOTHING ABOVE a theory!!! Put that in your little du b head!!! A theory is the highest possible level or explanation of observation. For the record, the "theory of gravity" was kind of "proven wrong" with relativity, as the equation are too simple to actually explain the exact position of objects in space (they have to be "distorted a bit" by the equations of relativity, but yet we still call it a "theory" and always will be.

In the same manner, the theory of Evolution, which was once a "theory", is not actually reagarded as a FACT as we can actually see evolution for ourselves thanks to scientic progress. We can see all the mutations happening in the human or animal bodies. A good example is all the new virus like Zika and all the new bacterias that are EVOLVING UNDER OUR EYES on a daily basis.

You are so deluded!!!! Sad to see that you are a teacher... Poor Fiji. We need BRAINS!!!! TOPPERS and intellectuals!!!!!

@ 7.45pm. I can see that you are a very proud and confident person and so sure of yourself. Your words tell us a lot about you, even though we do not know you well enough. But because I care about you, please listen to what I have to say. It might help you find your way through life.

You must be relatively young, with some experience and knowledge. You certainly have potential and you have a future ahead of you. You certainly have a lot to know and even more to understand. It will take many years of life experience and diligent study for you to realise what some of us already know. Please before you say anything else negative about religion, prayer and God, try and be more honest and sincere for a change. Find out more about the subject ( religion and prayer ) and person ( God ) you talk about before you speak. You are smart enough to do your own life search and discovery. Do not allow people to dictate your life or world view and beliefs.

Finally, for anyone to know God, it is absolutely simple. Just take Him for His word. Simply say, with utmost sincerity ;

“God of heaven and earth. I want to see you. I want to know whether or not you really exist. Please show yourself to me. ?Then take the Bible you have put away since your Sunday school, go to the Gospel of John and start reading from the very first verse and chapter. I promise, on God’s authority, that He will answer your prayers and reveal Himself to you in a way you have never experienced before. That will be the beginning of your new life with the Creator of the Universe. By the way, He knows you by name, and everything else about you have yet to discover, including your end. He made you like no one else on planet earth. So please do that, He is waiting for you. Vinaka.

@7:25 Am"it would take billions of years"... hahahahah life is actually a few billions years old...There are hardly any differences even between pigs and humans (only 15% differences!) It is so true that now we can take parts of a pig's heart to save human lifes!!! The most fascinating thing about life is that it is highly DYNAMIC. It is simply impossible for DNA to remain stable (natural radioactivity alone is f**king our DNA over the course of our short lives), that itself is a FACT and that is EVOLUTION on a tiny scale. Every generation, at least 20 or so mutations happen. If you are unlucky, you get a disease. If lucky, maybe you get some sort of advantage. Tiny one. But take only 200 000 years of homo sapiens and divide by 30, the historical life expectancy... you get enough generations to produce some subtle changes. We can see that even just during the last 400 years, the human race has changed a bit. We are much taller than our ancesters, probably due to an adjustement to availability of food. All the characteristics of our body are more or less variation and play with set of genes. No big deal here. Only look at the colonization of America from Alaska to Argentina: the skin color went from white to dark to white again according to the geography! The people of Bolivia have bigger lungs because they live very high where oxygen is scarce!!! how do you explain that? God put Bolivians straight in the mountains! ha..ha... Nope. that is evolution, on a tiny scale.

Ancient Fijians were quite right to call human long pigs. Their humour had some wisdom into it!The real tragedy of modern humans is to make sense of their true nature, which is NOT what they thought it was...

@ 7.43 am. Thank you for your comments. You have not addressed the heart of my comments. Let me put this to you again. A theory is not a supposition. Evolution is not a theory but a series of suppositions and conjectures. There is absolutely no conclusive evidence for evolution. Absolutely zero. The mutations you talk about are simply those, mutations, no more, no less.

Species mutate within their own kind. No species has evolved into another species. But that is the heart of Charlie's theory, the origin of the species. But even if species mutate within their own kind, you must try and explain to me how life began in the first place. No, wait. You must first explain how even the first speck of dust came to be. I'm sorry. We must go beyond that and begin from the beginning of everything. Tell me my friend, tell me the story of how the universe began. Beacuse we must accept that in order for evolution to be true, you must first assume the existence of a universe.

Since you sound like a smart person, please tell me how time, space and matter came to be. I would love to hear your understanding and position on that. Vinaka.

@7.25am. You have to wake up Charlie Darwin and talk to him about the time factor of billions of years it would take for his evolution theory to make sense. But therein lies another major issue of controversy. Scientists and thinkers generally agree that for Darwin's theory to happen, many different factors must be true. One of those is the assumption that the earth is 4.5 billion years old. You see, in order for changes in species o have happened as theorised by Darwin, we must have a very very very very very very very long period of time. That is where the 4.5 billion years kick in. But then again, who can really tell us how old the earth is. then mow about the universe? How old is it? Even modern radio carbon dating methods are being questioned. etc etc.

May I repeat. No one has ever witnessed a species evolving into another new species. Yes mutations happen. But evolution of species as per Charlie's theory is based on conjectures and suppositions. Just like the bear turning not a whale. But he discarded that after sleeping upon it again and again. At least the man was honest enough to admit he was wrong. But for us modern 21st century humanoids, with all the advanced knowledge and technology, and evidence all around us, there is no excuse for believing the bear - whale story. But people will see whatever they want to see, believe in what they want to believe.

Theories are just theories.Its a way we can explain things we see before us.The real truth is we humans are never smart and intelligent,instead we like to think and know that we actually are smart and intelligent.We are no different from wild animals,they have a nature and so do we.We like to say we are superior than these animals because we like to think and know our nature is different from theirs but it is the same.They shit,we shit,we piss,they piss,they get angry,we get angry,They have their style of hunting,we have our style of hunting.We have a language,they have their own.They kill,we kill.We make species,they make species.

Some body once said on here scientists said there's a multi universe etc and billions of galaxies and a chance of another you in these multiverses.A christian guy said there's realms and a God etc.I told this to some guy what I read on here and he said yeah no shit,that's all true and possible.He said if you want to see lots of multiverses,portals and go through so many realms and see super beings and things of all knowing and high and mighty then go take some of these very rare hidden secret drugs.He said when you take these secret drugs all these portals will open up and you will learn about science and religion put together and they coexist together and run each other like a happy parliament debate is in session.

You can be transported to the top school of thought and highness which is in the realms.He said these realms are infinite.All these realms takes you on venture of making you see and know everything.You will even see another you if not a million you's.Even a time machine is explained along with quantum physics.You can even go see Jesus yourself.Even down to telling you exactly how old is the earth and how humans are created.He said one time he wanted to be in this verse where he can see the end of space or the tip of it.I asked him so did it take you there?he said yes,it was in the realms number 000000334442224.He said when he was sucked in the vacuum you go down this rotating colourful hole that then leads to another dark hole and zapped into a box.Once you come out of that box you realise you just been teleported to the end of the 1st universe which apparently is the one we are now in.He continues to say at the end of our universe we are in is a cross road that leaps into many universes.Theres infinite universes he said it was just too big you couldn't put a number on it.

Till today that guy is exploring theses universes.Everyday he try's to at least go through 4 or 5 a day.His only done 45 so far.The universe number 20 he said was just amazing because the species there can fly,carry and move mountains,he even saw unicorns and the Tasmanian devil roaming around,they even could talk back and he could understand them.

More than 3100 plants believed to be marijuana were uprooted from farms in the highlands of Navosa over the weekend during operation Cavuraka.

Speaking from Navosa, Police Chief of Intelligence and Investigations, ACP Luke Navela told FBC News this is a joint operation between the police and military.

ACP Navela says four farms have already been raided and a team of fifty officers will continue with the raid.“We will be here for another few days trying to carrying out investigation and hopefully more farms will be found and we need to uproot all those marijuana.”

ACP Navela says farmers are now moving and farming further in land in more treacherous terrains.

He says that the farms are located in extremely hard to reach places and their officers have trekked for hours and over the weekend, teams slept in the rain all in a bid to locate these farms.ACP Navela has also confirmed that no arrests have been made yet.

He says that while a team is combing the highlands, another team is conducting investigations in relation to those believed to be involved in this trade and looking into the proceeds of crime.

JOHN KEY....DEAR SIR,SINCE YOU HAVE THE KEY, PLS SHOW THAT MOTHERFUCKERS BHAI AND KHAI THAT DEMOCRACY SHOULD NEVER BE CONTROLLED, AND SHOULD RUN FREELY AND BY THE BOOK.

AND TO ALL INDIANS OF FIJIAN DECENDANTS COMMENTING ABOVE.....BE HUMBLE!!!YOU SHOULD BE REMINDED THAT MANY OF YOUR KIND WERE LOOKED AFTER BY US DURING THE 2000 POLITICAL UPRISING.WE DEFENDED THEM FROM ROBBERS WHO STOLE AND WE HOUSED THEM IN OUR OWN HOMES, TILL THE ARMY TOOK CONTROL OF THE SITUATION.

REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE AND WHERE YOU CAME FROM......DONT EVER FORGET IT! DONT THINK THAT BAINIMARAMA WILL BE YOUR SAVIOUR TILL ETERNITY. ONE DAY HIS REIGN SHALL PASS AND ANOTHER PRO INDIGENIOUS GROUP WILL LEAD.

DO YOU THINK BAINIMARAMA GIVES A SHIT ABOUT YOU GUYS? HELL FUCKEN NO!!! HES RUNNING AWAY FROM SOMETHING, AND HES USED MULTI CULUTURALISM AND ETHNIC AS A WAY OUT. HE HAS A PART IN THE COUP OF 2000 WHERE IT FAILED AND THE ONLY WAY TO GET AWAY WITH IT WAS TO STAND ON YOUR SIDE.WAKE UP YAAR! ITS AN OLD TACTIC USED BY RAMBO....RABUKA WHERE HE USED INDIGENIOUS INTERESTS TO TAKE OVER LEADERSHIP IN 1987. HE BENEFITTED FROM THE COUPS,TILL PEOPLE FIND OUT.IN THE SAME WAY BAINIMARAMA IS USING THE NAME OF DEMOCRACY, EQUAL FUCKEN CITIZENRY SO YOU CAN BUY INTO IT.SO LAY LOW BROTHERS AND SISTERS, ONE DAY BAINIMARAMA AND HIS USELESS GOVERNMENT AND ARMY WILL CALL IT THE DAY, BUT BOTH RACES WILL LOOK INTO EACH OTHERS EYES AND I PRAY THAT TOLERANCE AND TRUST WILL CONTINUE TO GLUE US TOGETHER. BUT IF YOU CONTINUE TO TALK DISRESPECTFULLY, IT WILL ONLY BREED MORE ANIMOSITY AND HATRED TOWARDS BOTH RACES.

GOD BLESS. VALUE THE RELATIONSHIPS WE HAVE COS THIS WILL BE ONE OF THE GLUES THAT WILL HOLD US TOGETHER.

Fiji is getting millions in aid. Where is the money going? I was in Fiji in March and didn't see any major development from Lautoka to Tailevu. Most towns and cities look dirty and grubby. Some parts of Fiji look bad than India. Too much corruption and nepotism in Fiji.

Don't know why the Keystone Cops are so concerned about weed. What they need to worry about is ice, crack, cocaine, heroine, meth, etc. All the hard drugs that these fkn Chinese are bringing into the country. Wake the fk up!

@8.41pm. Thank you for your kind and wise words. May the Lord continue to bless you with more wisdom and insight, to bless those around you.

Yes, the real hope for the future for us as a nation is to love God and love one another. Let us embrace our diversity because it enriches us. Let us teach the leaders how we must live together with genuine love and unity. Let us learn from one another's culture and traditions. Let us never allow malice, greed and selfishness to divide and weaken us. Let us love one another just as God loves us.

What is happening before us is known as the invasions of the Reptiles species spawning amongst the human race.This newly discovered,unheard of and mysterious Reptile species have been understood to call themselves the Reptilian race.The Reptilians are able to transform their physical bodies into the shape of a human being.This imitation of the homo sapien is done to conceal their true physical appearance and to not cause curiosity to the human eye and mind.

However this has been jeopardised because witnesses have come forward to explain their extortionary encounters.Many of the witnesses have claimed they saw strange shifting transformation of a human turn into a humanoid lizard creature and then back again into a human being.

Cathy O'Brien a victim of the CIA project MKULTRA has written a book called "Trance Formation Of America".Cathy writes in "Trance Formation Of America" of how George Bush was sitting in front of her in his office in Washington DC when, he opened a book at a page depicting "lizard-like aliens from a far-off, deep space place." Bush then claimed to be an alien himself and appeared before her eyes to transform 'like a chameleon' into a reptile. Cathy believed that some kind of hologram or non human advanced technology had been activated to achieve this,as this can only be a logic scientific explanation.She has been accused of being a conspiracy theorist by mainstream media,some government and institution officials after speaking out and writing of her encounter.

It has been speculated that these Reptilians have an agenda to ensure mass supply of the human species to be ejected out of our universe and injected into their dimension of reality.We humans are being ejected and harvested for their consumption as we are in high demand in their world.They have come from the invisible realms to infiltrate human civilization and our institutions that governs us.They are extra-terrestrial/dimensional beings,which ultimately establishes the human race as mindless and robotic slaves to a system based on fear and control.

Editor,Gun Culture and ViolenceThe Orlando shooting, with 50 dead and 53 injured, is the worst in US history. As someone who has written about America's gun insanity ( in the American, Australian and Fijian media) I am deeply saddened by this latest mass gun slaughter as are so many people in America and around the world.What also saddens me deeply is the news " US Continues to Lead World in Weapons Export " ( Voice of America 13 June ).The US continues to hold the title of the world's top weapons exporter, supplying about $23 billion worth of weapons to other countries last year - particularly in the Middle East - according to a new report by the leading global source of such information.The consulting firm IHS Jane's released its annual Global Defense Trade Report Sunday, showing the global Defense market rose by $6.6 billion in 2015, up to a total of $65 billion. US exports of nearly $23 billion represent an increase of $10 billion since the 2009 report." The global Defense trade market has never seen an increase as large as the one we saw between 2014 and 2015", said Ben Moore's, senior analyst at IHS." 2015 was a record-breaking year ".Authors of the report expect Defense trade will continue to expand in the coming years.This news makes me sad because the US is the world leader of democracy . How are we to get a better America and a better world, a more peaceful world, with America leading the world in weapons export?Is the increasing war and violence we witness around the world coincidental? Or, is it to be linked to the global arms proliferation?Sincerely,Rajend Naidu

The officials that represents the Ministry of Doomsday is often in disagreements and heated intellectual debates with the Ministry of Judgement day.The ministry of Doomsday has expressed its anger over the many notable issuing of multiple failed predictions of dates for the end times and judgment.MD's has stated that wizards of the MJD have a continuity of lacking credibility of determining the actual date and time for the return of the Supreme being.

The Grand Master of MD said "They (wizards)have a theory and is convincing,but it's attempts to produce a time and date is proving to be wrong.It happens after every attempt they make and we the officials of Ministry of Doomsday are finding it very annoying."Critics have called for wizards who make wrong predictions to be demoted to lesser wizard or stripped off their rank.The board of the Grand white and dark wizards council has also been pressured to review the powers of practice by some wizards within the MJD as it is tarnishing its reputation and causing numerous protests.

Today the head of the Ministry of Judgement day stepped forward and said in his statement the following; "I would like to ensure everyone in the universe and all realms,including all other Ministry's that a full internal investigation will be launched throughout the whole ministry.I understand that many creatures are concerned and angered by the passing of wrong information into the many dimensions.I will be making sure that the enforcer nuzguls leave no stone unturned and that every crystal ball is inspected when FEA turns back on the power.I will make sure that we get down to the bottom of it and I will keep you all updated on the progress of the investigation."

The ministry of doomsday,the dark arts,the enlightened ones and orks sent praises and magic mushrooms for the move.

Peter Thompson promoting his appointment to GA assembly like it was some hard earned feat. Puleess, this is a fucking ceremonial appointment that goes around on a rotational basis period. It is nothing to boast about but only stupid arselicking idiots will go and promote it like some lifetime achievement. This so called 5th generation coward and arge piche family is nothing better than a self glorified overrated dumb idiot diplomat. His family is the worst kind of colonial thieving wannabees who were never worthy servants of the nation. Go fuck your ancestors in the gravehard you motherfucking arsehole.

The Orks are a biologically engineered species, created more than 60 million Terran years ago as a warrior race originally called the Krork by the long-vanished reptilian alien species known as the Old Ones, whom the Orks refer to as the Brain Boyz. The Orks were created by the Brain Boyz to fight the Necrons and their clan masters in the great interstellar conflict called the War in Heaven that shattered the galactic civilisation of the Old Ones that existed prior to the rise of the Eldar.

Orks are thus genetically engineered to be muscular, aggressive, and none too bright; their technology is maintained by a caste of Oddboyz who possess genetically-implanted dispositions and technical knowledge that grant them unusual skill with maintaining and developing technology. However, this skill is an unconscious one preserved through genetic memories hard-wired into the Oddboyz' DNA by the Brain Boyz millions of standard years ago. Indeed, the Brain Boyz were apparently able to encode information on how to build simple machinery into the genomes of all Orks; thus Mekboyz require very little training in their function within Ork "kultur," since they understand mechanical principles at a fully instinctive level.

Orks lack individual psychic power, being denied such abilities by the Old Ones. However, they do have a sort of collaborative, collective psychic ability, meaning that if enough Orks believe something is true, then it will actually become so, brought into power by their gestalt psychic ability. For example, Ork rockets painted yellow create bigger explosions, simply because the vast majority of Orks believe they do. This is also why much of the Orks' seemingly ramshackle technology will do terrible damage in the hands of Orks, but will cease to function when used by other races and species.

Editor,Pope : A Man of IntegrityWe read in The Washington Post 14/6 article ' Pope rejects Argentine president's donation...' that the Pope recently rejected " a sizeable charitable donation ( of $1.2 million ) to an organisation he backs from Argentina's president, Maurico Macri - on account of " possible concerns over the donation's political overtones ".We learn that " ... The Pope has also spoken out against what he sees as sweatshops in the country, some of which have been linked to business interests of Macri's wife, Juliana Awada".Now what kind of leader turns down that kind of "sizeable " donation?Only a man of integrity.I wonder how many such man of integrity, who can rejected big donations because of their " political overtones ", we have in Fiji politics?In Australian politics many people have pointed to the corrupting influence of political " donations ", saying they were nothing but political bribes meant to buy influence.Sincerely,Rajend Naidu

he break-in at Gringotts today, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown. Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day. "But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon.

Believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown, Gringotts goblins, while acknowledging the breach, insist nothing was taken. The vault in question had, in fact, been emptied the very same day. "But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you", said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon. Gringotts now need to readdress their security system. Goblin security specialists are combing the land for a better breed of security dragon to replace the now deemed useless existing ones. They are even going as far as examining muggle security systems. Gringotts need to get another security system in place before any more breaches occur. Wizards, Witches all over the country are scratching their heads wondering how safe their money is in the so-called safest wizard bank. Head Goblins are urging the wizarding community for calm.

@2:46 PMYour childish way of expressing yourself betrays who you really are. You seem to have been irritated by the inherent contradictions in your early morning post...fiji time. You can't both make fun and bow to colonial heritage.

In psychology, your behavior would be called "transposition". When you migrated to America (as we could easily guess from the timr you wrote your earlier message) you ended up washing the toilets in San Francisco. All that frustration to be a slave in a foreign country, we can read it in your comment... I have met over the course of my life a lot of people that would make inappropriate/weird accusations applying perfectly to themselves only and I did wonder for some time what the f**k was wrong in their little heads.

Well, what matters at the end of the day is that the colonial symbols your despised so much in your early morning post will go. As the arabic saying goes: the dogs bark, but the caravan goes on! :)

"The people will get up"?!?! Obviously you have been living overseas for too long and you forgot that the people here love sitting down. Sitting down when they removed Qarase, the Constitution, the GCC, etc... and you think they will at last stand up for a piece of fabric? Take your medication!

If I remember the poll last year, it was about 50-50 for the flag change... I doubt Bainimarama worries at all about the change itself, but he must certainly be worrying about the fact there are no flag designers in Fiji!!! ha...ha...ha... Out of 2000 something submissions, not a single inspiring design... :p That's probably why he gave up!

@7:18 AMSeems to be very trendy to change flags in the US at the moment. So many states and cities want to get rid of their SOBs (seals on a bedsheet)...New Jersey is on the list now... http://newnjflag.comMany cities are in the process of adopting better flags.Hopefully Fiji will get its flag sorted out too.

Let's all pray for better flags all around the world and for a better world too.

LABASA sugarcane farmers will boycott the harvesting of cane this crushing season unless Government increases the price per tonne of cane by $10.

In a statement, National Farmers Union general secretary Mahendra Chaudhry said about 500 growers at a meeting held last weekend indicated they did not have the funds to commence harvesting on June 14 because of the low fourth cane payment of only $11.12 a tonne.

I Can't believe the low pay out on cane harvest $11.12 a tonne what a reap off!!!! Why bother anymore cane farming?The Fijian farmers will lose every time no matter what.Who is to blame?the corporates?the EU?globalisation? The sugar mill owners?The sugar Industry will slowly decay away and then lead to a collapse,that is my prediction.

@4:30 PMI have heard that from a Rakiraki farmer some time ago.The world is changing, and the sugar industry here is on the decline because lack of productivity I believe.Maybe people can process their own cane and sell sugarcane juice?Try to develop new products?

PETER THOMSON IS FIJI'S JOSEF MENGELE (HITLER'S ANGEL OF DEATH), WHO IS MASTERMINDING THE HORRORS OF NATIVE FIJIAN GENOCIDE THROUGH MAINSTREAMING LAWS OF ENFORCED & INTENSIVE ASSIMILATION ENSHRINED IN THE IMPOSED AND ILLEGAL 2013 CON CONSTITUTION THROUGH THE "EQUAL CITIZENRY" IDEOLOGY AND THE 17 DECREES THAT SPECIFICALLY TARGET THE EXTERMINATION OF THE NATIVE FIJIAN RACE!!!AND THIS IS HOW HE ELABORATED HIS IDEOLOGY IN 2010:Peter Thomson told The Australian’s Graham Davis: "I'm a passionate advocate of a multi-racial, multicultural Fiji so I fully support Prime Minister Bainimarama's programme. Race-based constitutions and political parties have been very divisive for the nation. We're now working towards a future in which citizens will vote without regard for race for the first time."PETER THOMSON, LIKE GRAHAM DAVIS ARE DANGEROUS MEN NOTORIOUS FOR PROMOTING WHITE SUPREMACY IN ENGLAND, AND AMERICA AND AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND, BUT WHEN A NATIVE RACE IS IN CONTROL OF ITS OWN DESTINY THROUGH FAITH IN THE ALMIGHTY GOD, RUNNING THEIR OWN AFFAIRS, OWNING THEIR OWN LANDS, FISHERIES, RIVERS AND NATIVE INFRASTRUCTURES, THEN THAT'S TO BE DESTROYED BECAUSE NO NATIVE RACE, IN PARTICULAR, A BLACK RACE HAS THE RIGHT TO BE AUTONOMOUS, LET ALONE CONFIDENT AT BEING SO!!! YOU SEE HOW EVIL THAT KIND OF MINDSET REALLY IS???AND SO HE COUNSELS BAINIMARAMA TO WIPE OUT THE FIJIAN RACE SO THAT A TIME WILL COME WHEN THERE WILL BE NO MORE NATIVE FIJIAN RACE!!! AND HE COUNSELS BAINIMARAMA TO ABOLISH THE GREAT COUNCIL OF CHIEFS, THE PROVINCIAL COUNCILS, THE REGIONAL COUNCILS, VILLAGE COUNCILS AND MANDATE THAT A POLICE PERMIT BE SOUGHT IF NATIVE FIJIAN PEOPLE WANT TO HOLD MEETINGS!! THIS IS THE FORMULA TO THE DEATH OF THE NATIVE FIJIAN RACE!!!PETER THOMSON'S VISION IS FOR FIJI TO BECOME A RACELESS COUNTRY, WITH PEOPLE VOTING WITHOUT REGARD TO RACE!!! A TIME WHEN ALL PEOPLE IN FIJI CAN VOTE AT ELECTIONS WITHOUT REGARD TO RACE!!!BUT PETER THOMSON FORGETS, THAT FOR AS LONG AS FIJI WORSHIPS THE ALMIGHTY GOD AND HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON JESUS CHRIST, WEALTH AND THE MAMMON GOD WILL NEVER SUBSTITUTE OUR CONFIDENCE IN KNOWING WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD & ETERNAL SAVIOUR!!! IN CHRIST I DECLARE IT AND PRAY. AMEN!DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THIS KIND OF COLONIAL MINDSET FIJI, BECAUSE THIS IS THE SAME SNAKE THAT WEAVED ITS WAY INTO THE GARDEN OF EDEN, TEMPTED EVE WITH PROMISES IT COULD NOT FULFIL, AND BROUGHT ABOUT THE FALL OF MANKIND!!!BE WISE FIJI, LESS IS ALWAYS MORE!!! RIGHTEOUSNESS LEADS TO PEACE, NOT WEALTH AND CERTAINLY NOT THE WEALTH OF THE WICKED, WHICH PETER THOMSON IS BLINDLY LEADING YOU INTO!!! GOD FORBID!!!FIJI IS OUR INHERITANCE FROM GOD AND THAT'S THE WAY IT WILL REMAIN FOR EVER MORE, GOD BEING OUR HELPER, IN CHRIST I DECLARE IT AND PRAY! AMEN

Editor,That Other Way Of Changing GovernmentWe read in Belfast Telegraph 16/6 article ' Croatian MPs vote to oust prime minister and government' that the parliamentarians voted "overwhelming" do that triggering the fall of the government . A new government is to be formed within the next 30 days or a snap election will be called.Now who can disagree that this is a much better way to change a government which is perceived to have failed in its duty to the nation and its people rather than a military coup?Sincerely,Rajend Naidu

Editor,Hatred KillsA few days ago hatred for gays led the Orlando shooter to shot dead 49 people and injure 53 others in a night club.Today we get the news that British MP Jo Cox was shot and stabbed by a hate filled man who was vehemently opposed to her view that Britain should remain in the EU. He is said to have twice shouted " put British first".( BBC news).A sane person will always accept that people differ and learn to live - co-exist - with the difference, the diversity.And not go round killing others because they are different or differ in their views about anything - religion, politics, sports...Say NO to hatred.Sincerely,Rajend Naidu

Bainimarama committed treasonBainimarama is a dictatorBainimarama practices NepotismBainimarama imposed his constitutionBainimarama victimized his own peopleBainimarama courted rich businessmenBainimarama rigged the electoral processBainimarama militarized governmentBainimarama runs a parlimentary dictatorshipBainimarama has a form of a saintBainimarama has his men in the helms of the military and police

So in SUMMARY...Bainimarama is a thorn to Fiji's ultimate FreedomGod help us!..or could you help yourselves??

WE ARE NOT FOOLS TO BE FOOLED BY A FOOL LIKE YOU JEMESA VAGADACI. YOU ARE NOT A FIJIAN BY RACE NOR A CHRISTIAN BY FAITH. THE WORDS YOU USED ARE OF ISIS ISLAMIC FAITH. YOU ARE FULL OF HATE AGAINST CHRISTIANITY AND OF OUR FIJIAN CHIEFLY SYSTEM. YOU MURDERED CHRISTIANS BECAUSE OF YOUR FAITH SO TO ENTER HEAVENLY PARADISE WITH MANY YOUNG BEAUTIFUL WIVES TO HAVE SEXUAL INTERCOURSE WITH THEM AS YOUR PRICE.

I AM A FIJIAN AND ITAUKEI OF FIJI WHO SAVED YOU FROM THE CRUEL NASILAI REEF SHIPWRECK. MANY OF YOU DIED BUT THANK GOD TO THOSE OF WHOM I SAVED, GAVE THEM FOOD AND WATER, CLOTHES AND LAND TO LIVE AND ENJOY LIFE WITH ME ON MY LAND. BUT TODAY YOU HATE ME AND MY GOD WHO SENT ME TO SAVE YOU FROM DEATH IN THE SHIPWRECK IN NASILAI REEF BECAUSE THE CHRISTIAN LOVE AND VALUES I OFFERED YOU.

I BEG YOU TO PLEASE STOP YOUR EVIL WAYS AND MEANS TO FLARE-UP BLOODSHED IN FIJI ONE WAY OR ANOTHER BECAUSE NEITHER YOU NOR THE ARMY, POLICE AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DAY CAN QUELL IT IN ONE DAY OR ONE WEEK OR ONE MONTH OR ONE YEAR. I FOR ONE WHO COULD SEE HUGE TROUBLE IS COMING BETWEEN YOU AND I AS A RACE AND OF OUR RELIGIOUS FAITH BECAUSE OF YOUR EVIL LANGUAGES AND SPIRITS WITH ILL INTENTIONS TO TREAT ME AS A FOREIGNERS IN MY OWN LAND AND COUNTRY, FIJI.

PLEASE JEMESA VAGADACI, BEING A FAKE FIJIAN BY NAME AND RACE, STOP IT, BUT EXTEND YOUR ARMS TO ME AND LET US SHAKE HANDS AND WE SHOULD LOVE EACH OTHER FOREVER AND NOT OF ISLAMIC ISIS EVIL AGENDA.

So keep your rubbish 2 cents lecture to yourself. You never saved me nor did you feed and clothe me.

Stop being a web warrior and use your real name you fake Fijian by name and Race. Use those arms you so culturally use to kerekere and grab a sack full of Islamic state rebel cock and guzzle it down like your mother did to your indian landlords and indian bosses who feed and clothe you.

We Fijians were never religious as a race. Fijians only became religious when the white missionaries came and brain washed our race and were told to believe in a higher being rather than reason.

I think once you get over your fake religious facade that your white master instilled in your head you might resist the urge to talk ass backward.

So fake Fijian by name and Race. Have the testicular fortitude to use your real name and not your kaivalagi name anonymous! It isnt a Fijian name. Or is it?

Jemesa you wrong my friend...fijians worshiped their ancestors like the kaivalagi...they just got brainwashed into leaving their black ancestrol gods to worship the single white ancestral god...so get off your judgmental young man know it all attitude young man and grow up..

I am glad that you admitted to us that were born from your mother's bottom hole and you drink sperm milk from your father's Islamic state rebel cock and guzzle it down own your throat when you go hungry and cry for it to keep you quite.

How do you like your Daddy's big c..k Jemesa the fake Fijian of Kasavu the vasu ni Vuna? Remeber this Jemesa that we can speak the same language and deliver the same at its worse.

There is no one in Kasavu by that name of Jemesa Vugadaci. So better count your days. It is a pity that innocent Fijian, Indian, Muslim and Islanders etc. will suffer the same when the fire starts. OK Jemesa

The very people that we do not need is the person like you who full of HATES AND EVIL in Fiji.

We need Peace and Love one another in Fiji. But since you prefer bloodshed and hate one another we shall deliver the same to you and your God Lucifer.

In 1991, Madagascar — a large island off the coast of southeast Africa known more for its lovable lemurs than the fate of its 27 million deeply impoverished people — held its first multi-party elections. The way it came to do so was somewhat unusual: a brash general effectively kidnapped the country’s leading politicians, locked them in the Panorama Hotel, and proclaimed that they could leave only after they agreed to allow political competition. Two days later, the Panorama Convention was signed. The elections took place as planned — and what’s more, the incumbent lost and left power. It seemed like a new dawn for a country that had suffered for decades under the rule of a failed military strongman.

Shortly thereafter, Madagascar was duly declared a full-fledged democracy — receiving the same score as France — in an index that many political scientists consider to be the most accurate yardstick of regimes. Politicians, diplomats, and scholars all welcomed the country into the democratic world. In 2006, the American ambassador to the island declared that Washington believed that “Madagascar deserves its position among the community of democracies in the world.” Indeed, even in 2014 and 2015, in the wake of seriously flawed elections, the U.S. State Department continued to herald Madagascar’s alleged “return to democracy” after a coup d’état.

There’s just one problem: Madagascar is not and has never been a democracy.Regular elections are held, but they are manipulated and riddled by vote-buying. A national assembly exists, but it is deeply corrupt and unresponsive to the people. A democratic constitution is on the books, but those with informal power routinely ignore it. As in so other many places around the globe, real power in Madagascar belongs to a small cadre of elites that rely on informal personal networks to wield it.

There is more to democracy than elections. True democracy requires the rule of law, a free press, and accountability for elected officials, no matter how powerful they may be. Madagascar has none of the above. But far too often, we allow counterfeit democracies like it to pass as the real thing.

That’s because the international community treats democracy like a light switch: a regime is either elected democratically (on), or it is “elected” in a blatantly undemocratic sham contest (off). Elections themselves are also frequently judged in a binary way — they’re either completely free and fair or they are not. The problem is that most regimes in the world, like Madagascar, lie somewhere in between. Many may emit some democratic light — particularly during elections — but remain depressingly dim for the thousands of days in-between. The current system gives them little incentive to get brighter because the West calls them “democracies” too easily. That, in turn, degrades the value of democracy itself.

There are two dynamics at play here. First, the inevitably low bar created by the on/off mentality creates an effect that I’ve previously called “the curse of low expectations.” When undemocratic rulers get a diplomatic high-five just for holding a passable election, it creates a strong incentive to continue doing only the bare minimum. The European Union called Madagascar’s 2013 election “free, fair, and democratic,” even though millions were left off the voter rolls, illicit campaign funding was used, and vote buying was rampant (a finding that the European Union even acknowledged openly in its final report). After the election observers packed up and left, the international community took far less of an interest in the island. So long as the West sets an absurdly low bar for what constitutes democratic elections and views those as the endpoint of establishing democracy rather than its beginning, the light of democracy around the globe will continue to flicker.

Second, when a country’s citizens live in a “democracy” that holds elections but doesn’t really give them a voice, the result is governance that doesn’t deliver. Even the best election doesn’t put food on the table, provide security, or ensure basic health care. If elections are all people have, but genuine democracy doesn’t take root, they soon begin to resent the concept of democracy itself.

Perhaps for that reason, even the counterfeit democracy introduced in Madagascar in the early 1990s didn’t prove especially durable. In 2009, in one of the more bizarre episodes in modern international politics, the country’s sitting president Marc Ravalomanana — a rags-to-riches yogurt kingpin — was overthrown in a coup d’état by Andry Rajoelina, a 34-year-old former radio disc jockey. The toppling of an elected leader was, finally, enough for the diplomatic community to flip the switch and acknowledge that the country had lost its status as a democracy. International aid dried up. Madagascar became an international pariah.

But it didn’t take much to turn the switch back on. Four years later, Madagascar held elections again. The country was quickly reinstated in a preferential U.S. trade program, a decision prompted by “the nation’s return to democratic rule.” Crucial foreign aid flowed back in. But day-to-day international interest in the country plummeted. Madagascar had done the bare minimum to be seen as a “democratically elected” government, and that seemed to be good enough.

The elected government does not actually rule democratically, but its violations of democratic principles are not considered “bad enough” to elicit international consequences. As a result, elites in Madagascar and countries like it can have their cake and eat it too — ensuring that their informal power networks remain king while basking in international praise for a post-election “return to democracy.”

In April, Madagascar’s president announced that the prime minister had resigned, only for the startled prime minister to inform the press that he had done no such thing. His unconstitutional and unwilling departure ushered in the island’s third prime minister in as many years. At the same time, credible allegations arose that several ministers had paid bribes to secure their spots in the president’s cabinet. In May, the Minister of Public Service and Government Reform was discovered with 1,000 kilograms of drugs in his personal vehicle — rather a lot for recreational use. He has not been arrested, nor has he resigned.

These repeated embarrassments have prompted the general who originally ushered in multi-party elections 25 years ago to speak out. General Desiré-Philippe Ramakavélo, a distinguished elder statesman who has taken up writing political poetry in his retirement, laments that the country’s elites tend to act like royalty once attaining office, rather than as public servants constrained by democratic rules. During my last meeting with him at his home in Antananarivo, he shared his latest stanzas with me. The title of the poem he read, La loi, c’est moi (“The law, it’s me”) is a reference to the quip L’état, c’est moi (“the state, it’s me”) famously attributed to the French King Louis XIV, who embodied absolutist rule. In the poem, Ramakavelo bemoans the degree to which his country has impersonated Versailles by allowing powerful kingpins and kingmakers to rule without regard for the formal trappings of democracy.

Before I left, the general asked me to send him anything I wrote about him. In a vivid demonstration of the continued dominance of personality as power in Madagascar, the mailing address he provided to me read in full: “General Desiré-Philippe Ramakavélo, Madagascar.”

The problem with informal rule is simple: it allows bad governance. Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world not least because its corrupt — albeit elected — politicians serve themselves rather than their people. Though it has tremendous mineral wealth and one the most tourist-enticing landscapes on the planet, its GDP per capita is stuck below $500. A third of the population is illiterate. And it’s the only place on earth where outbreaks of the bubonic plague are a regular occurrence. It is, unquestionably, one of the worst tickets you can be dealt in the global lottery of birth.

Labeling such a country a “democracy” is not just ridiculous — it’s downright dangerous. Lowering the bar for what deserves to be called a democracy degrades public support for the concept. After all, if Madagascar really represented what a democracy looks like, nobody would want to live in one. Over time, this only makes the false prophets of authoritarian strongmen or military rule more appealing.

Madagascar may be an island, but it is not alone in this risk. When tens of thousands of Africans living in similarly sham democracies were askedwhether they were satisfied with democracy in their country, only 965 out of more than 50,000 respondents replied that their countries were not, in fact, democracies. Most accepted the premise that they lived in a democratic country, but lamented that fact: Four in ten said that they were “not at all satisfied” or “not very satisfied” with this form of governance.

This erosion of support for democracy has a knock-on effect. Calling countries like Madagascar democratic provides powerful rhetorical ammunition to despots in other countries, helping them make their case for continuing to resist reform. After all, if coups and corruption and drug-running ministers are the hallmarks of so-called democracies, maybe authoritarianism isn’t so bad.

In other words, mislabeling countries as democratic can cause people to lose faith in the concept while amplifying the voice of unresponsive leaders eager to spread an undemocratic gospel. This one-two punch may help explain why the world has become modestly, but steadily, less democratic since 2006.

The solution is not simply to condemn Madagascar and countries like it as pariah states. Madagascar’s president is no dictator, and some minor and modest progress toward democracy has been made since the 2013 elections.

Instead, there needs to be a higher bar for what warrants the label of democracy. For countries like Madagascar that do not deserve the label, aid and international acceptance should be tied to steady progress towards genuine democratic governance rather than being conditioned on holding passable elections every few years. If no progress is made, it should not take something so drastic as a coup d’état to hammer home the lesson that undemocratic governance between elections has diplomatic consequences.

Today, Madagascar’s people are mired in poverty and political dysfunction two and a half years after the last elections, and with two and a half years to go until the next ones. Amid the country’s economic and political stagnation, there are persistent whispers of nefarious attempts to instigate a constitutional crisis in order to force an early vote. Earlier this month, Senator Rene de Roland Lylison — a colonel who previously headed a paramilitary group — was arrested amid rumors that he was plotting another coup d’état. Unfortunately, because Madagascar’s people have been told that they have democracy but believe it has failed them, some would welcome a military takeover. That is the peril and the price of a system that conflates the act of voting with genuine democracy.

Editor,Respect for Rule of Law Paramount in a Democracy.We read in the Daily Maverick article ' Op-Ed : When the State disobeys the law, people will soon follow' ( 24/6 ) by Marianne Thamm that in June last year speaking to the Human Rights Lawyers Association Judge Thokozile Mapisa warned that if the state did not lead by example in respecting court rulings, there was cause to fear for the future.During a question and answer session Mapisa said the most serious recent violation of a court ruling had been government's decision allowing Sudanese president Omar-al-Bashir [ wanted by the ICC for crimes against humanity ] to leave the country despite a High Court ruling preventing it. There are several other cases cited in the article where the ruling ANC party members including president Jacob Zuma and his political and corporate cronies have ignored court rulings." The state should be leading by example ... If it does not you really fear for the future... Then you are really heading for trouble. Then ordinary people will start disobeying the law", Judge Mapisa said.It was a sentiment echoed by Professor Pierre De Vos ( a constitutional scholar, Department of Public Law, University of Cape Town ) :"Once a government flouts court orders it undermines the legitimacy of the courts - not only in highly charged political matters but also in ordinary matters affecting ordinary citizens. It is a calamity for every citizen - even if this may not at first be apparent to some citizens who might even, in a particular case, support the flouting of a court order and the lawlessness that entails".We know from our experience in post coup Fiji what Professor Pierre De Vos refers to.Democracy can never be on a firm footing when there is that kind of disregard for court decisions, the constitution, and the rule of law by the political class.Citizens and civil society must not allow it.Sincerely,Rajend Naidu

Economically, Fiji is currently rated alongside PNG, Solomon's and Vanuatu as extremely high risk investment countries.These countries only attract corrupt business people whose only concern is making a buck.

Combine this with corrupt power hungry dictators like Bainimarama, we have a country that is a basket case.